NEW YORK, (SANA) – Syria’s Permanent Representative in the UN, Bashar al-Jaafari, on Friday said that the draft resolution on Syria submitted by Saudi Arabia to the UN General Assembly is hysteric and misleading, violating all international legitimacy principles, primarily the principle of respecting national sovereignty and non-interference in countries’ internal affairs.

In a speech before the UN General Assembly, al-Jaafari said that adopting the draft resolution sends a wrong message to extremists and terrorists in Syria and elsewhere, since the terrorist acts these people carry out as an alternative to dialogue and peaceful settlements are encouraged and supported by UN member countries, which will only exacerbate the situation, increase violence and strengthen terrorism in Syria and the entire region, which will eventually cause terrorism to reach the very areas that spawned it, including some of the countries that adopted the draft resolution.

He pointed out to the irony in that the countries adopting the resolution presented it under article 34 on the prevention of armed conflicts, while these very same countries have had a considerable part in the militarization of the situation in Syria and pushing it away from the desired political solution by providing weapons to terrorist groups in Syria, adding that the French Foreign Minister admitted to this three days ago when he acknowledged that Qatar and Saudi Arabia are delivering weapons to these groups, while some western media outlets confirmed that US anti-aircraft Stinger missiles have reached these armed groups via Turkey.

Al-Jaafari said that some of the countries which adopt the draft resolution are leading a hysteric political media and intelligence campaign against Syria, funding and arming the armed terrorist groups – not to the peaceful, honest internal national opposition – and providing them with logistic support, adding that some of these countries also provide media and political cover to the armed groups and impose unilateral sanctions that contradict the six-point plant and pose an injustice on the Syrian people in a manner violating UN resolution, which further exacerbated the humanitarian situation on the ground, while at the same time these same sides bemoan the humanitarian situation in their statements.

He stressed that if these countries voicing concern over the humanitarian situation in Syria were truly honest in their concern, they would have allocated the billions of dollars spend of funding, arming and equipping terrorists with communication devices for humanitarian aid, noting that all promises made by these countries regarding humanitarian aid were mere deceptions as no-one in Syria saw any such aid even months after agreeing to the humanitarian response plan with the UN.

Al-Jaafari added that some of the countries that adopted the draft, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain, cannot be considered as examples of democracy and respecting human rights, as these countries are governed by oligarchic, tyrannical regimes that don’t hesitate to suppress their people and murder protestors, adding that the state of human rights and basic liberties in them is considered among the worst in the world according to documented reports by human rights organizations and opposition sources abroad.

He went on to affirm that other countries that adopted the draft are among the direct contributors to the deterioration of the situation in Syria, and that they have no credibility in terms of commitment to UN resolution in light of prior experiences, as many of these countries manipulated such resolutions and tailored them to fit their interests as to permit them to partake in military intervention in other countries using pretexts of disarming weapons of mass destruction, protecting human rights, protecting civilians, and other noble principles that were never truly among these countries goals; rather they were mere slogans employed to interfere in other countries’ affairs, topple governments and plunge countries into chaos, civil wars and sectarian infighting.

Al-Jaafari warned against the danger of the UN General Assembly becoming a cover for spreading legal terrorism and undermining stability and security around the world through political, financial and media pressure, or having the Assembly be used to give legitimacy to agendas that shook most member countries’ faith in the rule of law on the international level, particularly after the invasion of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya and the manipulation of the resources of several developing countries, particularly in Africa.

He pointed out that during the current crisis, Syria witnessed a series of terrorist bombings, and that the Syrian authorities arrested and killed large numbers of Arab and non-Arab terrorists affiliated with Al Qaeda and other extremist, Salafi and Wahabi organizations linked to Al Qaeda in terms of mentality and ideology.

Al-Jaafari pointed out to the contradiction in some countries – which always claimed to denounce terrorism and Al Qaeda and waged wars on this basis – are directly or indirectly supporting the growing terrorist activities of Al Qaeda and other extremist groups in Syria to serve “creative chaos” as it is well-known that some countries facilitated, funded and instigated the sending of terrorist to Syria, which explains why those who submitted the draft didn’t refer to these terrorists at all as this would indict them.

He went on to say that while many western countries are combating Salafi, Wahabi and Takfiri sleeper terrorists cells in their territories, the same countries are working hard to activate such cells in Syria, with some countries carrying out a methodical campaign of promoting violence and terrorism to Syria despite the fact that UN laws prohibit such acts and equate instigation of these crimes to committing them.

Al-Jaafari wondered of this draft resolution actually aims at invoking international law to hold those responsible for terrorism, violence and acts of murder and vandalism in Syria responsible for their crimes.

He called on member countries to not vote for it so that they do not become indirect accomplices in supporting chaos and terrorism and interfering in countries’ internal affairs and legalizing unilateral sanctions, calling on them to vote against it to support UN principles that equate countries in sovereignty and respect people’s right of self-determination.

He added that Syria was expecting from Saudi Arabia to submit a draft resolution to liberate the Saudi islands in the Red Sea which were occupied by Israel instead of faking sorrow over the Syrians and manipulating the fate of Palestinian refugees in Syria.

Al-Jaafari went on to say that Saudi and Qatari media wasn’t content with targeting Syria; it also targeted him and his family members in an immoral manner to extort him, with Saudi and Qatari media attacking him directly for hours-long programs and fabricating lies and allegations defaming his family, not to mention hosting social interaction sites that encourage murder and make lists of Syrians to be killed in Syria and outside it, wondering if this is how terrorism is combated or how diplomacy is carried out.

“You’re all ambassadors and defend your countries’ interest; this is something, and being targeted along with your families is another thing which I leave to your conscience,” he said, adding that many threats of murder were directed at him and other Syrian diplomats from sites based in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United States.

Al-Jaafari concluded by saying that the General Assembly Chairman assumed a position towards the draft resolution in advance, which violates the General Assembly’s internal laws which require the Chairman to be neutral and direct the session impartially, noting that this is the tenth such violation committed by the Chairman during his chairing of the Assembly.

In turn, Cuba’s Representative said that the draft resolution doesn’t resolve the Syrian crisis, rather it increases violence and treats the issue in a biased and nonobjective manner, paving the way to military intervention which Cuba will not support.

He said that ending violence and terrorism requires preventing the funding and arming of terrorists, adding that Europeans want to interfere in the affairs of a sovereign country and change its government to meet the interests of the United States and others.

The Representative voiced regret over the misuse of mass media to wage campaigns and instigate further bloodshed, affirming that Cuba opposes foreign intervention in countries’ internal affairs, expressing support to the right of the Syrians in implementing reforms without foreign interference.

For his part, Venezuela’s Representative in the UN said that the Syrian government is not facing a democratic and peaceful opposition, adding that Syria is facing an opposition that supports and resorts to terrorism, adding that this opposition is receiving foreign support and refusing dialogue.

In a speech before the UN General Assembly, Venezuela representative said that the draft resolution suggests taking steps for foreign intervention in a sovereign country, which makes the draft nonobjective and in violation of humanitarian principles.

“Venezuela takes its stances under the principle of respecting the sovereignty and national unity of the independent countries, that is why we hope that this draft will be rejected,” he added.

He stressed that funding and arming the armed groups of the opposition is a violation of the international laws and the UN Charter, urging all the UN organization to provide aid to the Syrian people with full respect of the Syrian sovereignty.

He also stressed the need to end violence regardless of form and source, and that political dialogue is the only way to resolve the Syrian crisis, adding that his country supported the Plan of UN Envoy Kofi Annan and regrets his resignation and the fact that warmongers destroyed Annan’s plan.

The Representative voiced Venezuela’s support for the efforts exerted by Russia to resolve the Syrian crisis and the decision suggested by Russia and China in this regard, noting that colonialist countries are imposing sanctions against Syria and continue to push draft resolutions in the General Assembly that interfere in Syria’s internal affairs and suit the goals of terrorists.

To this effect, Brazil’s Representative stressed the need for everyone to engage in national dialogue, and for the international community to guarantee the implementation of Annan’s plan through actions, not just words.

Similarly, the Iranian Representative voiced regret that some of the countries pushing for the draft are supporting terrorists, noting that the draft resolutions involves sanctions on Syria while the Syrians are suffering from the repercussions of the crisis, and that calls for sanctions constitutes group punishment against Syrians.

He stressed that the international community must call for ceasing the funding and arming of terrorist groups in Syria, expressing Iran’s regret over Annan’s resignation and noting that some countries sought to hinder Annan’s work by saying that they will seek methods outside the UN and the Security Council to deal with the Syrian situation.

The Iranian Representative voiced deep concern over the regional repercussions of violating Syria’s territorial sovereignty by some sides, calling on all Syrian political forces to engage in dialogue and reiterating his country’s readiness to host talks between the government and the opposition.

He also said that current draft resolution is unbalanced, unilateral and isn’t reflective of the reality in Syria, sending a wrong message.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s representative once again violated the UN Charter which calls for the Assembly’s Chairman to be objective and neutral towards any draft resolution, then went on to boast about his government’s achievements in conspiring against the Syrian people and issuing a statement based on the reports of al-Jazeera and rife with lies and allegations.

He also bemoaned the Security Council which – thanks to Russia and China’s moral position – prevented the undermining of Syria’s sovereignty.

Similar to the representative of Al Thani, the representative of Al Saud recited a statement which seemed to have been written by Israel with the aim of revitalizing the delusions of terrorist groups after their crushing defeats at the hand of the Syrian Arab Army.

The Saudi representative completely ignored the crimes committed by the mercenaries of the Saudi regime who are running amok in Syria and spoke of a political solution, ignoring the fact that a political solution requires non-interference in countries’ affairs and launching dialogue, not sending weapons and extremist mercenaries to Syria.

He also ignored Arab and western media reports confirming the responsibility of terrorists groups of massacres and bombings in Syria, hypocritically talking about the need to prevent the shedding of Syrians’ blood in clear disregard for the fact that Al Saud support terrorists organizations with the aim of undermining the stability of countries that reject their U.S. masters’ hegemony.

In turn, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon voiced regret that the Security Council couldn’t pass a resolution to justify foreign intervention in Syria, and he didn’t forget to shed tears over the humanitarian state of the Syrian people while pushing for a resolution that would impose more sanctions on them.

Ki-moon blamed the Syrian leadership, alleging that it didn’t commit fully to Annan’s plan, conveniently neglecting to mention any responsibility on the part of the armed groups, contradicting himself by saying that government’s are responsible for protecting their people while blaming the Syrian government which is confronting mercenary terrorist groups that are killing Syrians.

12 countries in the General Assembly voted against the non-binding draft resolution on Syria, while 31 countries declined to vote on this Saudi-presented resolution which aims at interfering in Syria’s affairs and imposing more sanctions on the Syrian people.
M. Nassr/ H. Sabbagh

Bashar Al Jaafari’s Press Conference 3rd August 2012

Delegates vote during the United Nations General Assembly meeting on Syria on August 3, 2012 at the UN headquarters in New York.

The UN General Assembly has passed a resolution condemning its Security Council for failing to agree on measures to end the unrest in Syria.

The non-binding resolution was approved by 133 votes to 12 with 31 abstentions on Friday.

The resolution, which was drawn up by Saudi Arabia, also condemns the Syrian government’s use of “heavy weapons” and its failure to withdraw troops from towns. The resolution did not call for President Bashar al-Assad to quit.

The move came a day after UN envoy to Syria Kofi Annan quit his post after blaming a lack of international support for his six-point plan aimed at ending the country’s violence.

Syria’s envoy to UN Bashar Ja’afari however, said that the adoption of resolution sends a wrong message to terrorists and will extend extremism and terrorism not only in Syria but in the whole region.

He also said that states sponsoring the resolution, such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have poor human rights record.

Ahead of the vote, UN Chief Ban Ki-moon told the assembly that Syria had become a “proxy war” and also urged world powers to overcome ‘rivalries’ and agree on a solution for the Syrian unrest. He also said that the UN Security Council has become “paralyzed” by divisions over the conflict.

The acts of brutality that are being reported may constitute crimes against humanity or war crimes,” Ban said.

Syria has been the scene of deadly unrest since mid-March, 2011 and many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of killing protesters. But Damascus blames ”outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups” for the unrest, insisting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.

UN Passes Controversial Resolution on Syria

The UN General Assembly on Friday passed a Saudi-drafted resolution on Syria, which Russia called ‘unbalanced’ and voted against.

The non-binding resolution denounces both President Bashar al-Assad’s regime for unleashing tanks, artillery, helicopters and warplanes on the people of Aleppo and the Security Council for its “failure” to counter the crisis.

The resolution notes “human rights abuses by armed opposition groups” and condemns “all violence, irrespective of where it comes from, including terrorist acts.”

The resolution was supported by 133 UN member states, 12 voted against and 31 abstained. It comes a day after Kofi Annan announced his resignation as the UN and Arab League special envoy to Syria. Annan championed a six-point peace plan that has failed to take hold.

Russia and China have previously vetoed three resolutions on Syria.

“The conflict in Syria is a test of everything this organization stands for,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said to the assembly ahead of the vote. “I do not want today’s United Nations to fail that test.”

“As we meet here, Aleppo, one of the most ancient and storied cities in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the epicenter of a vicious battle between the Syrian government and those who wish to replace it,” Ban said.

“The acts of brutality that are being reported may constitute crimes against humanity or war crimes. Such acts must be investigated and the perpetrators held to account.”

Aleppo, a city of 2.5 million people, has remained the hotspot of Syria’s civil conflict since last week, when pro-government forces launched a massive assault on the city in a colossal push to regain control of key territories across the country. The Al-Watan newspaper proclaimed the fight for Aleppo “the mother of all battles.”

Some observers view the battle for Aleppo as a major watershed in the Syrian conflict which could decide the future of the armed uprising against Assad.